


i like your soul when it’s shirtless, cause it’s just like mine (Hansbrak)

by beepbeepliv



Series: from liv, with love [2]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Cute?, Getting Back Together, I am, Lovers to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Rekindling, i dunno, i think, my eyes are squeaking when I blink, so tired, y'all know I aint good at cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 02:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20184556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beepbeepliv/pseuds/beepbeepliv
Summary: "If I may ramble again about them, because I’m ridiculously happy to have someone to just share this with, I lowkey imagine them like in a romcom sometimes?Like Ben isn’t as confident in his body even though he changed a lot (but I hc he still has a tummy because tummies deserve to be appreciated) and Eddie helps him boost his confidence up by ... one time when he slept over at Ben’s he left a bunch of stickers with compliments everywhere (both body positive and mind positive), they work out together and run together.And Ben shows Eddie he deserves more than the assholes he seems to hang around ever since him and Eddie broke up, shows him everything a boyfriend should do like ... (he reminds Eddie that he is not protecting Eddie, but he really is protecting the other guys from the humiliation he would feel after Eddie beats him up)But I love oblivious babies so they don’t understand that they deserve each other’s until after they reunite with the losers and they all caught up to what’s going on and ask if there’s something going on because they are just sitting a little too close, looking at one another a little too often when the other isn’t looking, sneaking small smiles to one another a whole lot."





	i like your soul when it’s shirtless, cause it’s just like mine (Hansbrak)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hawkinsbabe (Multishippers)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multishippers/gifts).

> Jo basically wrote this fic. I’m just the vessel
> 
> ALSO the quality of this fic is AWFUL (its basically a wordy hc okay lower ur exps) n jo deserves so much better but I have exams and so cant expel my full effort rn (bc it would take years) but I was too excited to wait till I was actually free (impulsivity amirite) xoxo
> 
> but in all honestly, I somehow just bashed this out in a few hrs, its 4am and I'm running on fumes rn so this could be a whole text on wingdings and ya girl wouldn't know the differnece.
> 
> bye bye.

_Ben and Eddie dating background (pre-uni)_

  * Eddie and Ben were golden.
  * Their love was like something straight out of one of those cheesy Netflix movies; disgustingly sickening to behold but undeniably perfect all the same. It had come out of nowhere, unexpected by everyone, especially Ben and Eddie themselves, but when they were together, they just… made sense.
  * Eddie was assertive and confident, usually knowing what he deserved and not willing to stand for less while Ben was more subdued. He was cheerier, still unsure of his place in the world but learning to be more self-assured bit by bit, with the help of his friends. They kept each other sane. Ben sprinkled optimism unto Eddies pessimistic views while Eddie shoved self-confidence into Ben’s life any way he could.
  * Yin and Yang.
  * They’d begun dating at sixth form. Ben had been unwillingly dragged to a party that Eddie just so happened to be at, by a few of his course mates. He was overjoyed at seeing a familiar face and ended up glued to his side the whole night. Sure, he’d felt a bit bad stealing Eddie from his Engineering friends, but it was nice to spend some almost one-on-one time with each other outside of the standard ‘losers’ sphere.
  * However, when they woke up in bed together the next morning, it was a bit less than platonic.
  * Their relationship didn’t get up a great start then. Ben had woken up, look at Eddie, opened his mouth to speak but then turned away to throw up over the side of the bed. Eddie had rolled his eyes and rolled over, so the sun wasn’t in his face. He’d mumbled “Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” and gone back to bed.
  * That was how it started, and it ended just as anticlimactically.
  * The losers split up. Richie went off to do some comedy tour, Bill was away on a publishing internship in New York, Mike stuck around in Derry with Stan not to far off in Idaho studying Chemistry. Ben and Bev went to California; Ben to pursue Architecture while Bev was ‘finding herself’ and Eddie left to LA to study Mech Eng. They were sure the friendship was going to last, none of them were worried about that in the slightest but Eddie and Ben still decided to break it off, both deciding that the other should have a chance to experiment and have fun without anything holding them back. It was a mutual decision but not an easy one and the closer summer got to ending, the sadder the pair got.
  * Then they went off to uni and had a shit time so

_Eddie being good to ben (during uni – hols n such)_

  * Eddie gasped for breath, near falling over as he caught up to Ben who was jogging on the spot, waiting, with his ever-patient smile on his face.
  * Eddie wanted to punch him.
  * “Fuck you!” he spat between breaths, grabbing Ben’s water and drinking half of it out of spite. The infuriating idiot just laughed and hooked it back unto his belt once Eddie was done.
  * “Maybe later,” he winked, “C’mon, we’re halfway there,”
  * Eddie did _not _watch his ass as he ran off.
  * Truth be told, Eddie fucking hated working out. He only did it because he knew Ben loved it and he didn’t want the other boy to miss out on something he loved because of societal anxiousness he’d built up as a child and now couldn’t shake. It started in secondary school when Eddie woke up super early one morning, to get some water, to find Ben working out in their tiny ass living room. He blinked, tempted to just go the fuck back to bed, but ended up biting and asking what the fuck he was doing.
  * Ben had revealed that he actually really enjoyed working out but was too self-conscious to do it in public. He didn’t even have to ask before Eddie had decided that they were work out buddies from then on. (“Eddie I’m not sure about--” “Benny, trust me, in these shorts, everyone will be looking at me, don’t you worry,”).
  * Ben had changed a lot since then, but only physically, he was still the exact same on the inside, warm, caring, too much love to give for his own good, but physically, he’d lost a bit of weight, gotten taller and gained muscle. However, as he didn’t have the will power of a God and still enjoyed indulging every now and then, his weight fluctuated like the average person and Eddie soon decided that soft Ben was his guilty pleasure.
  * Sure, Ben with abs was nice to look at and poke and show off and all and Eddie was a sucker for nibbling at the chiselled crevices and watching them tense as Ben slowly lost control beneath him, but there was something about cuddling in bed with Ben when he was just flat, soft, cuddly pooch, how soft and warm he was. Of course, Eddie loved him regardless; but soft ben was a definite weakness.
  * Ben now wasn’t soft. He was layers of muscle and prominent abs – which was likely at least partially down to Eddie because now that they were broken up Eddie wasn’t ditching their work out sessions nearly as much. It was basically their only one-on-one time and he wouldn’t miss that for the world, even if he had to run up this hill five more damn times. His eyes followed Ben down the hill, until he got too small to check out.
  * Eddie hummed thoughtfully.
  * Maybe chiselled Ben was a guilty pleasure too.

_Ben being good back (also during uni – hols n such)_

  * Ben walked over to sit by Eddie as the younger boy let out a few more silent tears. They sat together in an easy silence, both staring straight ahead, Ben with his legs crossed and Eddie with his clenched fists rested on his knees.
  * “I just— I don’t understand,”
  * Ben remained silent, taking his hand to let him know he was listening but letting Eddie work through the thoughts in his head in silence so he could say what he truly wanted to say when he was ready. Ben wasn’t surprised the shorter boy needed a moment, the scene that had just gone on downstairs wouldn’t be forgotten by any of them, anytime soon. Eddie had been dancing with Troy – some boy he’d met, god-know-where, a while ago – when some other boy walked up to them and pulled the two apart. Eddie went flying. He was tiny anyway and once drunk and taken by surprise he had no chance holding his own to what was essentially a sneak attack.
  * The boy looked like he wanted to tear Eddie apart, all for getting with his “boyfriend of two years” apparently; that was news to everyone. Eddie could barley stutter through a coherent response after that bombshell and troy had to drag the other boy away before it got physical as he thought Eddie was lying. Eddie was shell-shocked throughout the whole ordeal and afterwards – as was ben, so he wasn’t expecting Eddie to get straight back into the party spirit, if anything, it would be weirder if he did bounce back just like that.
  * He knew the younger boy needed to take a few moments to re-centre himself and process. So, he stayed silent and let him gather his thoughts.
  * “I don’t understand why people can’t just want me,” he said so softly and Ben for a second genuinely doesn’t know what to say. He desperately wished that Richie was here to lighten the moment or Stan was there to snap some sense into Eddie with harsh truths. But it was just the two of them, no-one else was coming.
  * “Eddie that dude was a dick, until tonight where we found out that he was, in fact, not a dick, but a complete asshole. He never seemed to have time for you or care about anything he was supposed to. A good boyfriend would attend next to all of your track meets and support you because he’d understand how important it was to you. He’d spontaneously show up at the hospital with lunch and write you fun love letters to find later to try and brighten your day. He’d be protective over you but only secretly because we all know you could take down pretty much anything life throws at you and don’t need the protection, but it shouldn’t stop him front wanting the best for you. A true boyfriend should make you feel like number one, Eddie, because that’s what you are.”
  * By the end of his mini-speech Eddie was staring at him with a slightly awed expression and unshed tears dancing over his eyes, but smiling too, so Ben hoped he’d done a good job.
  * “Thanks haystack.” He says, “I owe you one,” Ben sticks a hand out and makes a gimme motion and Eddie obediently pulls out a dollar with a small eye roll, one of their habits from secondary school that never really died down. Over the past ten years Stan had taken the most dollars from the rest of the losers but Ben was a close second. He hands it to Ben and Ben pockets it before fishing around in his pocket also, hoping he remembered them today – aha! He did.
  * He pulled out a few, obviously homemade, stickers and peels off a “you are special, you are treasured” one and sticks it on Eddie’s forehead. When he looked back at the boy the awed expression is back.
  * “You still have those?” Ben almost feel insulted for how shocked Eddie looks. Of course, he does. “I thought you’d have used them all,” Ben scoffs, but it doesn’t play off as mean, not at all.
  * “Never, I save them for special occasions,” Eddie pauses, drunk brain coming back full swing as he reached to pay for the sticker on his forehead. He finds it and places his palm over it.
  * “I’m special?” and oh yeah, Eddie’s definitely drunk.
  * “Yup, all 5 foot of you,” he snickers and that gets them back into less dangerous territory with Eddie making an affronted but still somehow fond grunt and dozing off on Ben’s shoulder.

_Then stealing looks then rekindlings (post-uni)_

  * Suddenly university is over. They’ve all graduated (expect for Mike but he decided to go try to be a doctor) and are back in Derry catching up over drinks but Ben can’t stop looking over at Eddie. University was what broke them up in the first place, but now that was over, but Ben didn’t know if that meant that they could have another chance, if they would get back together or if they were over for real. He didn’t know what that meant, he didn’t know what anything meant, he always got too in his head about things.
  * Eddie was the one who always centred him. but he didn’t want to wait for Eddie to make a move, he knew the other boy liked when he came out of his shell and asked for what he wanted, he liked when Ben understood he deserved things. And Ben wanted to try his best, if only for Eddie. He didn’t realise he had zoned out unto he caught the tail end of Bev’s sentence.
  * “—Eddie’s future husband,”
  * “what?” he said immediately, automatically, fuck, why was he so transparent?
  * “Bev” Eddie complained flatly, reaching for his phone but Bev just leant out of his reach. If Ben was paying attention to anything other than the panic blossoming on Eddie’s face, he would have noticed the devious look Stan and Bev shared as she leaned over to show him some pretty boy’s Instagram.
  * “This boy Eddie’s talking to, ain’t he cute?” she scrolled through a few pictures and, fuck, yeah, he is cute.
  * “Yeah,” Bens voice doesn’t feel like his anymore, he looked down at his beer on the table, so much for being assertive. He felt Bill take hold of his hand reassuringly under the table and went to smile at him but then he also felt him kick Bev’s shin and snorts a laugh instead.
  * “Ow, fuck!” she yelled before kicking him back, pretty boy’s Instagram forgotten as they begin to battle it out.
  * Later they’re all walking back to their respective dwellings and the group somehow dwindles down to just Ben and Eddie and Ben can’t help but feel like the losers did it on purpose. They walk in a comfortable silence for a bit before Eddie says,
  * “He’s not anyone,” Ben’s ears flushed, and he shoved his hands in his pockets with a forced shrug,
  * “Who?” Eddie levels him with a look that tell ben he knows that Ben knows exactly who he was talking about.
  * “The boy, Will, he’s just a friend, from Psych. He’s got a boyfriend,”
  * “Oh,” Ben said, feeling stupid. Of course, Bev was fucking with him. Of course, she was and of course he fell for it; hook, line and sinker.
  * “So, do you maybe, wanna go for—”
  * “Yes,” Eddie says before Ben can even finish his sentence and they both smile the whole walk back.


End file.
